The meteorological department has warned of cold wave conditions in some places across the state till Friday.

Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar recorded the coldest December night in 28 years with a low of minus 7.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, Greater Kashmir reported. The city had recorded a minimum of minus 8.8 degrees Celsius on December 7, 1990.

The night temperature in Pahalgam, which is one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra in South Kashmir, was at a low of minus 8.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night as against minus 7.9 degrees the previous night, PTI reported. Leh town in Ladakh region, which had recorded the lowest temperature this winter on Tuesday night at minus 17.1 degrees Celsius, experienced an increase of nearly nine degrees, settling at minus 8.4 degrees Celsius.

The meteorological department has warned of cold wave conditions in isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir till Friday. The cold wave has resulted in some water bodies, including the fringes of the famous Dal Lake, freezing.

Traffic on the Srinagar-Leh highway was suspended after snow covered the road, cutting off Ladakh region from the Valley. The Mughal Road, which connects Shopian district in southern Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu region, was also closed due to snow.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of “Chillai Kalan” – a 40-day period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most and maximum temperature drops considerably. Chillai Kalan ends on January 31, and is followed by a 20-day-long “Chillai-Khurd’ and a 10-day “Chillai-Bachha”.